• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.71-85
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• 2018

A recent topic of interest within ecology is ecosystem services that are importantly connected with biodiversity. Biodiversity is a fundamental component of ecological studies and has been the subject of many studies worldwide. However, studies on the diversity and distribution of freshwater fish were not undertaken in earnest until 2000, and the number of internationally available studies is therefore still limited. In this study, we used data from "The Survey and Evaluation of Aquatic Ecosystem Health (hereafter SEAEH)" within the framework of which whole water systems on the Korean peninsula are annually monitored to investigate and determine the current status of the diversity and distribution of freshwater fish, as well as to elucidate major factors impacting freshwater fish. A total of 130 species from 28 families were identified at around 953 sites in the SEAEH investigation of 2014. The species Zacco platypus (relative abundance: 28.2%) and Z. koreanus (19.3%) were identified as the most abundant species on the Korean peninsula, and besides these 20 endangered species, 51 endemic species and 4 exotic species were also collected. Highest (96 species) and lowest (72 species) diversity were identified in the Han River Watershed and the Yeongsan/Seomjin River Watershed, respectively. The mean endemic rate was 32.7%, which is higher than the previous rate determined in 1995. The exotic species Micropterus salmoides, Lepomis macrochirus and Carassius cuvieri were found in the whole river system except north Yeongdong, whereas Oreochromis niloticus occurred only at three sites due to the cold water temperatures in winter. Totally, 28 species were found to be translocated to different water systems not connected with known original habitats, most translocations occurring in the Nakdong River and the Yeongdong region. Among the translocated species, Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis, and Erythroculter erythropterus were dominantly distributed in the mid- to lower reaches of Nakdong River where they may be harmful to the native fish assemblages due to their strong predation. The construction of weirs in connection with the "4 River Project" generated changes in fish assemblages before, during and after the project, resulting in altered habitat condition. Especially, a decrease in the number of endemic species and an increase in the abundance of lentic species were seen. Human-induced global warming will allow exotic species requiring high water temperatures to adapt to the environmental conditions of the Korean peninsula, which may enhance the diversity of native fishes and create changes in distribution. For the establishment of realistic and efficient management and protection strategies for Korean freshwater fish, SEAEH, which produces fundamental and quantitative data for Korean streams, is an important and necessary tool.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.175-180
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• 1993

Eighty one specimens of nhodeus sericeus (Pallas, 1176) were collected at the upper stream of the Som River (37$^{\circ}$32' 38" N, 127$^{\circ}$58' 57" E: Maegok-ri, Konggun-myon, Hoengsong-gun, Kanguvon-do, Korea) which is a tributary of the Namhan River. This is the first report of the species in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. This species is well discriminated from the other species in the genus nhodeus by the following respects. The number of scales of transverse series is more than 34 (range 34-37, mean 35.7 $\pm$0.7). Head is echo감or and snout is Bonder than those of the other species. The upper part of the eve is always black and the lateral body surfaces are reddish purple. It had been hem that the southern limit of the distribution of Rhodeus sericeus was the Yonghung River in Hamgvongnam-do, north-eastern part of the Korean Peninsula. But their distributional range is extended more southerly to the Han River system which tons westward through the central part of the Korean Peninsula.Peninsula.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.10a
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• pp.24-24
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• 2019

Iris L. is a perennial genus comprising approximately 300 species worldwide, with the greatest number of endemic species occurring in Asia. Iris is one of the largest genera in the family Iridaceae and includes ca. 15 species native to Korea. Although chromosome number change, karyotype restructuring, and genome size variation play an important role in plant genome diversification, understanding the karyotype variation in Korean Iris species has been hampered by the wide range of base chromosome number (x = 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22) reported to date. This study documents the chromosome numbers, karyotype structure and genome size variation in Iris ruthenica K. Gawl., an endangered species in Korea obtained using classic Feulgen staining and flow cytometry. The chromosome number of all investigated plants from the nine populations was 2n = 42. All individuals studied possessed metacentric and submetacentric chromosomes. The genome size of the I. ruthenica in eight wild populations ranged from 2.39 pg/1C to 2.45 pg/1C ($2.42{\pm}0.02pg/1C$: $mean{\pm}SD$). This study provides the first report of genome size variation in Iris ruthenica in Korea. This study lays foundation for cytogenetic further analyses employing by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to better understand the chromosomal evolution in this species and in the whole genus.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.78-84
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• 1984

In order to determine the infestation patterns for metacercaria of digenetic trematodes, several kinds of fresh-water and brackish-water fish were caught in River Hyungsan, Kyungpook Province, Korea and examined from March to October in 1983. They were collected by netting, fishing with rod and line, or using the bait of crushed oil cake in transparent plastic bowls, and were dissected into the flesh, scales and 6ns with tail, and then examined for the presence and infestation density of larval trematodes. Of the 11 kinds of fish examined, the encysted larvae of Exorchis oviformis were found all of them, Metagonimus yokogawai from 9 kinds, Cyathocotyle orientalis, Metacercaria hasegawai and Metorchis orientalis from 6 kinds, alld Clonorchis sinensis from 4 Kinds in the present study. In the intensity of infestation with Clonorchis sinensis, the Korean shiner, Gnathopogon atromaculatus Nichols et Pope, was the most heavily infected species, the average number of metacercariae per grata of fish flesh being 45.5, followed by the striped shiner, Puntungia hirxi Ibersenstein 11.6, and Southern top-Inouthed minnow, Pseudorasbora larva (Temminck et Shlegel) , 9.7. The intensity of infestation with the iwetagonimus larvae in 8 species of fresh-water fish was relatively low, and the average number per gram of flesh varied from 0.23 to 9.1. In comparison, the brackish-water fish were more heavily infected and the mean number of cysts per gram of flesh in the sweetfish, Plecoglossus altiwelis, was 32.9. The results of this study generally indicate that Clonorchis sinensis and Metagcnimus yckogawai infection may occur by consuming raw fresh-water fish caught in the river Hyungpook, Kyungpook Province, Korea.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.459-467
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• 2007

The effects of turbid water on fish community was investigated in a clear reference stream (the Bongsan Steam) and a turbid stream (the Daegi Stream) located in the upstream region of the South Han River, Korea. The stress index (SI) of suspended solids (SS) were calculated during a rain event concentration by the equation SI=LN (SS${\times}$duration). EMC of SS was $1{\sim}13$ mg $L^{-1}$ in the clear stream with a mean SI of 5.2, while SS was $97{\sim}1,150$ mg $L^{-1}$ in the turbid stream with a mean SI of 10.3. Even though the number of species was not much different, the dominant species of the two steams were distinctly different. The reference stream was dominated by upstream species such as Rhynchocypris kumgangensis, Brachymystax lenok tsinlingensis, and Cottus poecilopus which are typical upstream community. Whereas the turbid streams was dominated by Rhynchocypris kumgangensis, Zacco koreanus, and Orthrias nudus which are representatives of middle reache community. Fish density was four times higher in the clear steam than the turbid stream. In the similarity analysis of fish communities the community of the turbid stream showed large dissimilarity with other communities in other streams of similar size. In conclusion, although turbidity might be at the sublethal concentration, fish communities are under stress in some turbid streams of Korea that is strong enough to induce community change. It can be an example of a chronic ecological toxicity of turbidity at the community level.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.241-258
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• 1998

The experimental demersal trawl surveys to provide the essential information for the assessment, management and utilization of commercially important fish stocks in the southern waters of Korea were carried out during five research cruises between October 1996 and October 1997 by the training ship “KAYA” of Pukyong National University. The biological sampling was conducted by using the trawl net with a cover net of 36 mm in mesh size at 64 planned trawl stations during daylight to identify the biological characteristics of fish. Each catch was standardized into catch per unit of time and the catches at each trawl station were sorted, weighed and counted by species. The changes in catches of each fish species and the shifts in dominant species by seasions and sampling regions in the research area were analyzed, and the abundance of fish was estimated from the relationship between the trawl catches and the volume of the water column sampled by demersal trawls. The results obtained can be summarized as follows : 1. During the 64 demersal trawls conducted in the southern waters of Korea, 129 species including 112 species of fishes, 8 species of Cephalopoda and 7 species of Crustacea, were identified Also, during the 1996 and 1997 trawl surveys in the reseach area, a large number of commercially important species with small differences in proportion was found. me proportion of Japanese horse mackerel which comprised 19.8% of the total catch by weight was highest, followed by chub mackerel(15.0%), swordtip squid(9.0%), redwing searobin(6.2%), konoshiro gizzard shad(6.1%), Japanese flying squid(5.8%), silver pomfet(5.1%), blackmouth goosefish(5.1%), etc. Swordtip squid, Japanese flying squid, blackmouth goosefish and blackthroat seaperch were among the dominant species in all seasons with a relatively high and stab1e proportion(3.6~9.0%), and were widely distributed in the entire southern water of Korea. 2. The catch rates by cover net varied at 0.7~91.9% by weight of the total trawl catch by codend and cover net at 64 planned trawl stations and the mean catch rate was 44.4%. Species comprising a major portion of the catches by cover net mainly were swordtip squid, konoshiro gizzard shad, the juveniles of Japanese horse mackerel, blackthroat seaperch and chub mackerel, etc. 3. The distribution density of fish in terms of biomass per unit volume which derived from the catch data by 63 bottom trawl hauls in the southern waters of Korea ranged from 17.9 $\times$ 10-6 to 1,440.9 $\times$ 10-6kg/m3 with the mean value of 153.8 $\times$ 10-6 kg/m3. These fish densities varied between seasons, location of sampling stations and sea conditions. From these results, it is worth noting that the catch composition of multispecies and the increased occurrence of small fish in the southern waters of Korea may also result in new problems in determining the total allowable catch(TAC) levels for economically important species.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.260-269
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• 2009

Hwabuk Dam has been under construction to reduce flood damage in Nakdong River watershed and to supply stable water for middle area of Gyeongbuk Province. Therefore, fish investigation in up and downstream of the dam was conducted from 2004 to 2008 in order to determine any negative effect on fish community due to dam construction and to use as fundamental data for conserving species diversity and maintaining stream health. According to data analysis on water quality, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, suspended solids, and total E-coli had seasonal variation, but they did not significantly differ in sites. However, biological and chemical oxygen demand, chlorophyll-a, nitrogen, and phosphorus representing organic matter and nutrient concentration were higher in upper site and decreased to lower site so that they differed by site. Concentration of arsenic among the heavy metals was less than 0.05 mg $L^{-1}$, which is regulated for protection of human health in water quality standard, except for 0.092 mg $L^{-1}$ in June 2005. During the study period, the total number of fish caught from the 6 sites was 10,263 representing 7 families 19 species. Among them, dominant and subdominant species were Korean chub (Zacco koreanus, 62.5%) and Chinese minnow (Rhynchocypris oxycephalus, 10.6%) which inhabit mostly in mid and upper streams, Korea. Among the 19 species, Korean endemic species were 9 species (47.4%) including Korean slender gudgeon (Squalidus gracilis majimae), Korean dark sleeper (Odontobutis platycephala), and Korean shiner (Coreoleuciscus splendidus). There was several individuals of the $1^{st}$-class endangered species, Naktong nose loach (Koreocobitis nahtongensis), caught in 2005${\sim}$2007, and no introduced species of fish was found in entire sampling period. According to result of community analysis, dominance index decreased toward lower site, but diversity and richness indices increased toward lower site. The equation of length-weight relationship on the dominant species was TW=0.000003$(TL)^{3.2603}$. The parameter b in the equation was greater than 3.0 indicating good nutritional condition in the populations. Compared to populations of Korean chub in other streams, the population in Hwabuk Dam watershed had higher mean of condition factor by size indicating better growth rate. With fish fauna and multi-metric health assessment model in each sampling attempt, index of biotic integrity (IBI) was evaluated and it resulted mostly in good (26${\sim}$35) and excellent (36${\sim}$40) condition in all sites, and the mean of IBI was the highest in site 5. The results indicate that it is very important to study not only environmental impact assessment with fish composition but also stream health assessment in order to conserve healthy aquatic ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.95-104
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• 1997

Stomach contents of 518 specimens of the yellow goosefish, Lophius litulon caught by the off-shore stownet in the southern waters of Korea were examined by means of the calculation of the frequency of occurrence number and weight percentages, and index of relative importance (IRI) in each prey organisms. Prey organisms of the yellow goosefish consist of fishes, crustaceans, cephalopods. Fishes were dominant prey group, and occupied $98.8\%$ in IRI of prey organisms. Four species of fish, Pseudosciaena manchurica Collichthys niveatus, Engraulis japonica, Trichiurus lepturus were dominant as to the IRI and occupied $87.2\%$ of the total IRI. P. manchurica was a dominant prey organism in predator's stomach through the year, and the other dominant prey organisms occurred intermittently with seasonal progress. P. manchurica was a dominant prey organism to all fish size, too. C. niveatus and E. japonica decreased in importance in the diet as the fish size increased concomitant with an increase in importance of T. lepturus. Mean species number and mean individual number of prey organisms increased with the fish size.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.892-901
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• 2012

The purpose of this research was to analyze fish fauna, distribution patterns, and fish community structures in the Juksan-Weir regions of upper weir(R-UW) and lower weir(R-LW), which was constructed in 2011 on Yeongsan River watershed. Our outcomes will provide valuable information in the impact analysis of weir constructions next decades, even if the current research is limited to distributions and fauna studies of fishes. The fishes observed were 8 family and 30 species in all the sites, and the number of the species in the regions of R-UW and R-LW was 23(938 individuals) and 27(1,680 individuals), respectively, indicating greater abundance in the lower region of Juksan-Weir. Most dominant species was Opsarichthys uncirostris amurensis with relative abundance of 42%, and this species had greater abundance in the R-LW(49%) than in the R-UW(30%). Coilia nasus, was the migratory fish sampled in this region and had no differences of abundance between the two regions. The extic species observed were Carassius cuvieri, Lepomis macrochirus, and Micropterus salmoides. The two formers of Carassius cuvieri(1.2%) and Lepomis macrochirus(3.7%) dominated in the R-UW, whereas Micropterus salmoides had greater dominance in the region of R-LW. According to tolerance guild analysis, the proportion of sensitive species ranged from 0.4 to 0.5%, and that of tolerant species ranged from 65% to 70%, implying a severe pollution of nutrients and organic matters in the water body. In the mean time, according to trophic guild analysis, the proportion of carnivores(57 - 77%) was evidently higher than that of insectivores(10 - 20%), indicating a dominance of the carnivores. Especially, high abundance of the bass, exotic species, may disturb the fish overall food chain, so the efficient ecosystem management may be required for the conservation of endemic species. When we examined fish data files of last 60 years, the species of Culter brevicauda, designated as endangered species, was observed firstly in our research area and the total number was 5 individuals(0.2% of the total). So, this region observed should be conserved as a protection zone and further monitoring studies should be done in the future.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.73-81
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• 2018

This study was conducted to understand the current status of the translocated species using a precede study and a model to evaluate the potential invasiveness that could adversely affect the aquatic ecosystem in the Gangneungnamdae Stream. A total of 12 translocated species were investigated and identified from 9 sites in a precede study, and steadily increased since 1982. For the study, which utilized research based on the total FISK (Fish Invasivenss Screening Kit) scores, all of the non-native fishes in Gangneungnamdae Stream were classified into two groups: namely as a high and a medium risk of becoming invasive. It was determined that there were two species (Zacco platypus and Pseudorasbora parva) that were determined to have posed the highest risk. The study determined that the mean scores were shown to have ranged from $3.06({\pm}0.16)-3.42({\pm}0.13)$. Consequently, the habitat analysis showed that the determined QHEI (Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index) values in the stream averaged 146 (88-171), indicating that an optimal habitat condition did exist in that locale. It can be inferred that compared to land use in the surrounding watersheds, the QHEI values and frequency of translocated species showed the lower the altitude of stream, the QHEI values were decreased and in case of land use pattern, a noted decreased forest and grassland area, and gradually increased urbanized area was seen to exist in the region. The correlation between the fish assemblage, QHEI, land use pattern of surrounding watershed and number of translocated species was identified and analyzed when the stream altitude decreased, and the number of species was increased (r= - 0.782, p=0.0127), the number of species was decreased (r= - 0.737, p=0.0234), and finally when the QHEI values were decreased, it was noted that the urbanized area was increased (r=0.292, p=0.446). In the case of the number of translocated species, when the number of translocated species was increased, the associated urbanized area was increased.